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Lynn’s Bistro: A User’s Guide
French-Asian Fusion | Intimate 36-Seat Setting | Prix Fixe Dinner Menus | Sunday Brunch
Sample Prix Fixe Menu
First course: escargots with Pernod-and-garlic herbed butter
Second course: duck breast in a cherry-merlot sauce
Third course: bread pudding with chocolate, cherries, and rum
Wine: glass of pinot noir from Erath Winery in Oregon
The Atmosphere: Fresh flowers and white linens top each table, adding a romantic touch to the cozy interior.
Who’s in the Kitchen? Chef-owner MyLinh Tran, who’s served as head chef at Seattle's Crepe de Paris, head chef at New York's Lavana Moon, sous chef at Houston's Ten Ten, and as apprentice to classical French chef Dominique Place. She opened Lynn’s Bistro in 2001 to bring her fusion of Asian and French cuisines to the masses.
When to Go: Lynn’s is a go-to special occasion restaurant, but it also serves weekday lunch (Tuesday–Friday) and Sunday brunch.
Inside Tips
Try the french onion soup, served with a bubbling top of gruyère cheese and a french-bread crouton.
Brunch entrees come with a bonus: fresh, hot-from-the-oven mini pastries like croissants and scones.

Your next meal awaits at Le Grand Bistro Americain in Kirkland.
Le Grand Bistro Americain does not prepare their menu with low-fat items, though, so those following a strict diet may have better luck elsewhere.
Toast your evening out at Le Grand Bistro Americain with a glass of beer or wine from their lengthy drink list.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the beautiful weather during your meal at Le Grand Bistro Americain.
Score quick and easy seating for your large group at Le Grand Bistro Americain.
Free wifi is on hand here as well.
No need for a wardrobe change when you hit Le Grand Bistro Americain — it's strictly casual.
Dining out isn't your only option here — pickup is available, too.
Le Grand Bistro Americain is surrounded by endless parking, including options for valet, street and garage parking.
You'll typically spend about $30 per person to dine at Le Grand Bistro Americain, so plan your budget accordingly.
Le Grand Bistro Americain accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and all major credit cards.
The dinner menu is a crowd pleaser at the restaurant, though breakfast and lunch are also served.

Romance is in the air at Charles At Smugglers Cove, a cozy French restaurant with exquisite food and wine.
G-free and low-fat are just a couple of examples, come here for a quick bite that will leave you feeling healthy.
Find time to peruse the wine list here — Charles At Smugglers Cove offers a variety of drink options.
Looking to host a party but don't have the space at home? You'll love the private room offered at Charles At Smugglers Cove — just right for large and merry gatherings.
Bask in the sun and enjoy a fresh meal outside at Charles At Smugglers Cove.
You can also serve food from Charles At Smugglers Cove at your next party — the restaurant offers catering.
Avoid parallel parking and slide into a spot free of charge — the restaurant offers free parking next door.
A visit to Charles At Smugglers Cove will set you back less than $30 per person, so you can make it a regular part of your schedule.
Charles At Smugglers Cove offers a wide variety of payment options, including payment by major credit card.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all served at the restaurant, but the dinner menu is the real standout.

Cafe culture at its best can be found at The Ridgeback Cafe.
None of the fare at The Ridgeback Cafe is low-fat, so you'll have to put the diet aside for a visit here.
The bar at The Ridgeback Cafe is fully stocked, so pair your meal with a glass of wine or beer.
Parents appreciate The Ridgeback Cafe's kid-friendly attitude, and little ones are often seen dining out with the adults.
Free wifi is on hand here as well.
Ideal for birthday parties or other large get-togethers, The Ridgeback Cafe has all the room you'll need to be comfortable.
If you need to get somewhere fast, the restaurant also serves up grub to go.
You can also have The Ridgeback Cafe cater your next event.
Street parking is provided for those dining at the restaurant's NW 65th St location.
The menu at The Ridgeback Cafe is reasonably priced, with most items costing less than $30.
Reviewers heap high praise on the restaurant's brunch menu, but lunch and dinner are also available.

Located in The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar, The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar's crepes have a gooey inside and crisp outside.
Dieters beware — The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar does not offer low-fat cuisine.
Take your pick of beer, wine, or other beverages offered on The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar's menu.
Unwind on a budget, and enjoy happy hour's low-cost beers and simple eats.
The restaurant picks up the most people during the week, so avoid the rush if crowds aren't your thing.
For those in a hurry, the restaurant lets you take your meal or snack to go.
Sidle into a space on the street or park your vehicle in the adjacent lot.
There's no need to bust your budget at The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar, with most meals costing under $15.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all served at The Crepe Cafe and Wine Bar, so come by whenever it fits your schedule.

With Chloe Bistrot, French-born chef and owner Laurent Gabriel has transformed an unassuming storefront in Laurelhurst into an elegant eatery seemingly plucked straight from Paris. Inside, cherry-red upholstery, dark chestnut walls, and polished tabletops puts guests into a Parisian state of mind even before they glimpse the menu of classic French fare. Diners can begin with escargot in garlic and parsley butter before moving onto steamed mussels in a tomato, garlic, and fresh thyme broth. An extensive wine list, meanwhile, pulls together varietals culled from across the French countryside, while authentic desserts like tarte tatin rival those found in any French bakery or left carelessly on any French windowsill.

Groupon Guide

According to Paris-trained chef Jim Drohman, French cooking isn’t hard to do in an American home. All you need is nutmeg, good cheese, and a lot of cream.
Jim Drohman’s French cuisine isn’t snooty or dainty. In fact, he’s behind one of the biggest meat dishes in Seattle: Café Presse’s whole roasted chicken for two, which weighs in at a whopping 3.2 pounds.
Café Presse (1117 12th Ave.) is one of two French eateries that Jim owns with his business partner, Joanne Herron. The Parisian plates there contrast with the countryside classics (rabbit liver terrine, anyone?) at Downtown’s Le Pichet (1933 1st Ave.). And before he was managing double kitchens, Jim trained at the Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française Jean Ferrandi in Paris.
He says that you don’t need a degree from abroad to cook the French way, though. The original French chefs were women cooking at home, and the whole culinary system is rooted in the “grandmotherly techniques of the countryside.” In other words, techniques accessible to those of us who don’t own gratin dishes.
To prove his point, Jim told us how to Frenchify three American classics—mashed potatoes, roast chicken, and mac ‘n’ cheese—from the comfort of your own counter.
MASHED POTATOES
The American way: Boil peeled potatoes until they’re soft, then mash them up with milk, butter, and all the salt you own. Instant mashed potatoes are also extremely American.
The easy way to Frenchify it: “Replace the milk with cream…heated until just warm,” Jim says. Replace your normal butter with “a big lump of unsalted butter,” and add some grated nutmeg and pepper to your salt. Potato-wise, he recommends russets (they’re what his mom would use).
The less easy way to Frenchify it: Make what Jim calls “the most decadent purée de pommes de terre ever.”
Start by gently simmering peeled yellow fingerling potatoes (“in France, the best variety are called rattes,”) in salted water until they’re soft. Drain them. Then, spread them on a sheet pan and dry them in an oven set to medium for about five minutes. “Removing the [excess] water allows the potatoes to take on more butter and cream,” Jim says.
To finish it off, purée the ultra-soft potatoes by running them through a sieve, and add unsalted butter and heated cream until the mixture is very smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
ROAST CHICKEN
The American way: Buy a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store, then say you roasted it yourself.
The easy way to Frenchify it: Truss the chicken with string (see Martha Stewart’s how-to here), baste it with butter, and season it with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Then, throw it in a pan and roast it in the oven for about an hour—Jim recommends setting the temperature at 450 degrees. While it’s cooking, periodically baste it with more butter.
It’s done when it’s hot in the deepest part of its thigh. According to the health department, “hot” means 165 degrees, but…“I can tell you that if the thigh is 165 the breast will be a bit dry,” Jim says. “However, far be it from me to contradict the health department.”
The (way) less easy way to Frenchify it: This way requires an open fire, black truffle slices, and goose liver, so you probably shouldn’t try it at home unless you’re a professional chef and a firefighter. It was a specialty when Jim was working at Le Coq de la Maison Blanche, a third-generation, family-run auberge in Paris: chicken roasted on a spit on the dining room’s huge hearth.
First, they stuffed the chicken. Herbs and black truffle slices went under the skin, and a mix of bread, chestnuts, and goose liver went into the body cavity. Next, they roasted it “until the stuffing was hot and the skin of the bird was crispy and golden.”
MAC ‘N’ CHEESE
The American way: Buy a box of mac ‘n’ cheese, and do what the box says.
The really easy way to Frenchify it: Refer to your mac ‘n’ cheese as “Gratin de Macaroni.”
The easy way to Frenchify it: Make a mornay sauce. That’s béchamel sauce (try Mario Batali’s recipe here), but flavored with grated gruyère, a bit of cayenne, and some fresh grated nutmeg.
Boil up some pasta and drain it well. ”I like to use ziti pasta tubes,” Jim says, “which are similar to the macaroni used in France.” Toss the pasta in the sauce until it’s coated generously, then put it in a buttered baking dish, top it with more grated cheese, and heat it in the oven (set to medium) until it gets bubbly.
The less easy way to Frenchify it: This is Jim’s favorite way to make mac ‘n’ cheese, because it “honors the dish’s roots in the Savoie region in the French Alps.” That’s how you know it’s fancy.
Bring a half-and-half mix of good chicken stock and whole milk to a simmer. Add a splash of white wine, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Boil your macaroni in this instead of water, and when you drain the pasta, save the liquid. Thicken it with beurre manié—a half-and-half mix of soft butter and white flour kneaded together sans heat. This is your sauce.
Toss the hot pasta with diced reblochon cheese, ham, and spinach leaves. Then, coat it in the sauce, put it in a gratin dish (or a regular dish), and top it with bread crumbs. Bake it until it’s golden brown.

Bastille Day—also known as French National Day—commemorates the French Revolution and is typically marked by military parades, picnics, dances, and fireworks … in France. In the United States, however, it’s just a great excuse to enjoy some French food and wine. But just in case your high-school French is a bit rusty, we put together this cheat sheet—complete with a pronunciation guide!—highlighting popular French delicacies and the Seattle restaurants that serve them.
Pommes Frites (pom freet)
What it is: In French, this term sounds romantic. In English, it translates to “potato fries,” more commonly known here as french fries. In French restaurants, dishes served with fries are marked “et frites”—as in “moules et frites” (mussels with fries).
Where to try it: Try the frites and aioli—another French word for a sauce made with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and egg yolks—at Bastille Café & Bar (5307 Ballard Ave. NW) in Ballard.
Charcuterie (car-chu-kur-ree)
What it is: This word actually refers to a type of preparation and preservation of meat. Most accurately, it means “cold prepared meats.”
Where to try it: Le Pichet (1933 First Ave.) in Pike Place Market offers an extensive list of charcuterie. Selections include Lyon-style sausage with pork and pistachios and duck-liver terrine with green peppercorns.
Beignet (bean-yay)
What it is: A French term for fritter, meaning anything dipped in batter and deep-fried. Many people are familiar with the sweet, powdered-sugar variety popular in New Orleans, but beignets can also be savory, incorporating vegetables, meat, or seafood.
Where to try it: The crab beignets at Chef Thierry Rautureau’s downtown restaurant, Loulay Kitchen & Bar (600 Union St.), are made with dungeness crab and served with harissa aioli.
Boeuf Bourguignon (boof boor-gee-nyawn)
What it is: A beef stew made by slow-cooking the meat in red burgundy wine with herbs and vegetables.
Where to try it: Voila! Bistrot (2805 E. Madison St.), a French restaurant in Madison Valley, features a boeuf bourguignon with braised short ribs, red-wine sauce, and yukon potatoes.
Cassoulet (ka-soo-lay)
What it is: A white-bean stew made with various meats, vegetables, and herbs that is slowly cooked or baked in an oven.
Where to try it: The menu at Place Pigalle (81 Pike St.) in Pike Place Market boasts a rabbit cassoulet prepared with braised rabbit leg, white beans, and housemade sausage.
Foie Gras (fwah grah)
What it is: A paste of liver made from specially fattened geese or duck that is usually served with toast or as part of another dish.
Where to try it: Maximilien (81A Pike St.) in Pike Place Market—known for its romantic setting and amazing views of Elliott Bay—prepares a decadent duo de foie gras: house-cured and seared foie gras with bing cherries, pear chutney, butter brioche, and balsamic reduction.
Tartare (tahr-tahr)
What it is: Raw meat that has been very finely chopped.
Where to try it: Café Campagne (1600 Post Alley) in Pike Place Market offers a rich tartare de boeuf, made with rib eye, shallots, capers, dijon, and quail egg and served with toasted baguette slices.
Gougeres (goo-zhair)
What it is: A bite-sized savory pastry puff made with cheese.
Where to try it: Try the light and airy gougeres (made with thyme and gruyère) fresh out of the oven next time you visit Pair (5501 30th Ave. NE), a local wine bar and café in the Ravenna neighborhood.
Rillettes (ri-lets)
What it is: An appetizer similar to pâte made from chopped meat (typically pork) that has been seasoned, slowly cooked, then preserved in fat. It is usually served with bread for spreading.
Where to try it: Rillettes du jour at À La Bonne Franquette (1421 31st Ave. S) in the Mount Baker neighborhood features an ever-changing roster of rillettes served with baguette, chutney, cornichon, and mustard.
Confit (kawn-fee)
What it is: Meat (usually duck leg) that is preserved by first being salted and cooked in its own juices, then stored in its own fat.
Where to try it: The European-inspired bistro Gainsbourg (8550 Greenwood Ave. N) in Greenwood serves its duck confit stewed with white beans, vegetables, braised kale, and apple cider.